Pros

Cons

Narrow field of view limits your GoPro to 1080p capture.

Hurts video quality.

Can be tricky to view video on some VR headsets.

Adds girth to svelte GoPro.

Durability concerns.

Virtual reality is all the rage, with expensive headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive promising top-tier experiences, and more modest options like Google Cardboard and the Zeiss VR One available for those who simply want to dip their toes into the virtual water. But there's not a lot of content that's meant to be viewed through VR goggles, nor are there easy ways for the general public to create their own immersive video. Fantem hopes to change that with its inexpensive Vitrima ($99) lens for GoPro cameras. It doesn't turn your GoPro action camera into a 360-degree shooter like the Ricoh Theta S, but it does allow you to easily shoot footage that will show a noticeable 3D effect when viewed in a headset. It's not an expensive add-on, but it's also not without its drawbacks.

Availability and DesignThere are two versions of the Vitrima available. We received a pre-production version of the $129 Standard lens for evaluation. Because we're testing a pre-production unit, we aren't awarding the Vitrima a rating at this time.

The Standard version is IP67 certified, which means that it can be submerged to 1 meter (3.4 feet)—a modest depth that pales in comparison with a standard case that comes with a GoPro, which is rated for dives as deep as 131 feet. There's also a lightweight version that's not waterproof, and doens't incorporate a GoPro case, available for $99. Both versions are launching via an Indiegogo campaign, where they will be sold for 50 percent of MSRP.

The Vitrima is basically a large 3D lens—a flat piece of glass with mirrors that split the incoming light into two halves. It's permanently connected to what appears to be a standard GoPro waterproof case, though it's no doubt custom built. I found the preproduction sample not as durable as a true GoPro case. In fact, the black clip that holds the rear door shut and the camera in place broke during testing. (Thankfully it's a part that's easily replaceable.) This isn't something that has happened to me with a standard GoPro case, and leads to questions about the Vitrima's long-term durability.

GoPro Hero+

GoPro Hero3 White Edition

The lens works with GoPro Hero3+ and Hero4 cameras. Its case has the standard GoPro mount point, so it can be used with many aftermarket accessories. There are likely some mounts that are incompatible due to the girth of the lens, but there are enough out there that you should be able to work around it.

Video QualityHere's the rub: In order to use the Vitrima, you need to set your GoPro into its narrow field of view mode. Even with the top-end Hero4 Black($389.00 at Amazon) , that means you'll be limited to recording in 1080p. That limits video quality, especially when you consider just how close to your eyes it will be when viewed through a VR headset—more pixels are better when footage is examined so closely.

I mounted a GoPro to a Blade Chroma( at Amazon) drone to see how it handles aerial footage. The results were more miss than hit. I was flying blind—the Chroma can stream video from a GoPro to the ground, but that requires a gimbal mount to be installed. With the Standard Vitrima attached, that's out of the question. You may be able to mount the Lightweight version in some gimbals, but it depends on how they secure the GoPro camera. Not knowing what the drone was shooting led me to some guesswork with my videography. Sweeping aerials that look great in 2D were shaky and lacked a sense of depth in 3D—the shakiness comes from the lack of a stabilization gimbal. I used a shock mount to secure the Vitrima, but the weight and size minimized its effectiveness.

Lower altitude footage fared much better. I was able to see the depth of subjects on the ground as I hovered or flew toward them. But it's tough to get a shot when you don't know what the camera's recording and you're concerned about not running into anything. At one point during testing I experienced a loss of GPS while flying near one of the family dogs; the Chroma started to drift toward the poor pup, but thankfully I was able to cut power to the motors and land softly (albeit upside down) in the grass with no harm done to camera or quadcopter.

I got better results with video recorded from solid footing. Placing the camera on the ground near another dog, I was able to record footage with clear 3D separation. Minimizing jumpy motion associated with action videography and aerials also made it a bit easier to watch on a headset.

Another issue with the field of view is the cropped view that many headsets produce. When you view the video on YouTube sans headset, you'll see more at the top and bottom of the frame than you do when viewing it through the Zeiss VR One or Google Cardboard. One shot I really liked when editing was a jet flying high in the sky, leaving chemtrails behind it, framed behind a chimney, old-style roof antenna, and bare tree branches. Had I been viewing a live feed, or using a GoPro model with a rear LCD when recording, I'd have better centered the frame. But I was shooting blind with the Hero4 Black, and because of this you see mostly blue sky when viewing the footage through goggles, making you wonder: What am I looking at?

Aside from the limited field of view, the flat glass front lenses, and interior mirror design that splits the video for 3D capture definitely degrades quality. I see a lot more chromatic aberration in shots than I do with the Hero4's naked lens. There's also a huge smear in the center of the footage when the two halves of the frame meet, but due to the additional cropping introduced by a headset, you don't see that when wearing goggles.

ConclusionsThe Vitrima feels like a first-generation product. It's rough around the edges, and a cobbled solution that's not nearly as elegant as a true two-lens 3D capture solution. But there aren't a lot of those on the market—we saw a few dedicated lenses come out during the height of the 3D TV craze, but as that died, so did the support. GoPro still sells the Dual Hero System, which uses two GoPro cameras to record 3D footage, but it only works with the previous-generation Hero3+ Black($109.00 at Adorama) , and it costs $200.

GoPro shooters love the camera for its simplicity—when set to its widest field of view, one only needs to point the lens in the general direction of the subject. But the tight field required for the Vitrima to work, coupled with the additional crop-induced by VR goggles, requires you to exercise a bit more discipline. If you're really keen on recording 3D footage with your GoPro, the Vitrima will do it, and it won't put a huge dent in your wallet. But be aware that the video quality isn't going to be as good as you'd get from your GoPro sans add-on lens, and that there's a learning curve involved with using the lens effectively.

About Jim Fisher

Jim Fisher is our lead analyst for cameras, drones, and digital imaging. He studied at RPI and worked on the retail side of the industry at B&H before landing at PCMag. He has a thing for old lenses, boneyards, and waterfowl. When he’s not out with his camera, Jim enjoys watching bad and good television, playing video games (poorly), and reading. You can find him on Instagram @jamespfisher

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